The Virtue of Joy
- Elijah McSwain
- Jan 11, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 12, 2024
1/9/2024
Elijah McSwain, Sr.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Wayne Jacobsen declared “the fruit of the Spirit is not what we can make ourselves do for a moment, but what God makes us to be for a lifetime.” 1 The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of an inward change that denotes our relational position in God through Jesus Christ throughout our earthly life. The reality of being in Christ and Christ in turn abiding in us empowers every believer to mirror the divine nature of the Lord as a means of being molded into the image of the Son of God. The fruit that is produced in our lives is the direct work of the Holy Spirit. The third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, helps every individual Christian to bear resemblance of the fruit of the Spirit pertaining to love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The manifestation of the Spirit living within us and leading us will be seen in the outworking of our minds, bodies, and souls as the spiritual traits of godliness flows from the agent of the Holy Spirit.
Jerry Bridges mentioned that “the fruit of the Spirit is fundamentally relational. Rather than originating with us, it flows to us from our union with Christ, and it flows beyond us to bring us into fellowship with others. The secret of this flow – and our unity with God and others – is humility.” 2
Humble submission unto God gives way for His presence to be actively shown within us by His Spirit. Apart from the inhabited presence of the Holy Spirit, a person cannot exhibit the divine fruit that is reflective of God. The absence of God's presence in a person’s life leads those who are alienated from Him to be governed by the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). The notion of being under the gravitational influence of sinfulness results in ungodly activity and conduct.
However, for the believer, a life that is under the influential control of the Holy Spirit will exhibit the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. This written piece will embark upon grasping the second virtue of the fruit of the Spirit pertaining to joy.
Joy Is Rooted In The Nature of God
Joy is a communicable attribute of God. Joy is an expression of the mind of God that projects forth from His being.
The Bible depicts the joyful nature of God by the descriptive narrative given in the latter part of Nehemiah 8:10 that acclaims the joy of the Lord is my strength. The underlying reality involves the fact that joy is more than what God gives as a mechanism to strengthen us, but it is a concept that entails of His divine persona. The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible states “joy is divine. It is possessed and given only by God. Its roots are not in earthly or material things or cheap triumphs. It is the joy of the Holy Spirit, a joy based in the Lord. It is His very own joy.” 3
God is the personification of joy. God is the source of joy. God possesses joy, He experiences joy, and He expresses joy.
To paint this realism, in John 15:11, Jesus spoke of His joy by using the possessive pronoun “My” to draw attention to the fact that joy is of divine descent. John 15:11 is written “these things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
This verse entails that joy is derived from a vertical or perpendicular plain as opposed to a horizontal or level plain. Joy is not something manufactured by mankind but comes directly from God.
The connectivity of joy in the life of a believer is only a result of being connected with God though Jesus Christ and being endowed with His Spirit. Thus, placing emphasis on joy stemming from a heavenly perspective and being a divine virtue. To further draw out this truth, the abode of God is filled with joy. Heaven is filled with the joy of the Lord. One way that Scripture reveals this is on the basis of Luke 15:7 by informing us that the atmosphere in heaven is one of joy. Luke 15:7 declares “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."
The joy in heaven springs forth as an embodiment of God because heaven echoes and mirrors the essence of God. The temperament of God is one of joy which denotes that He is permanently joyful. However, His joy is expressive and experienced immensely in heaven when a lost soul comes into saving faith. Heaven is fixated to the Person of God. Hence, it is known as a place of joy. The joy that is present in heaven is an eternal dimension and element because it is tied to the eternality of God.
By God being joyful it does not cancel out or diminish His other attributes. For example, when He executes wrath toward evil and sinfulness, His love and righteousness are not negated based on His judgment toward the act of wickedness. The demonstration of His attributes in any given situation does not override or deny the existence of His other attributes at the expense of Him acting in accordance with who He is. All of God's attributes are in sync with each other and are irrelated to each other in alignment with His Person and being. One writer indicated, “undoubtedly God is the most joyous being in the universe. The abundance of His love and generosity is inseparable from His infinite joy. All of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breath and depth and richness.” 4 Therefore, those who are affiliated with God through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ exhibit the joy of the Lord as a product of the fruit of the Spirit. Our joy is rooted in the divinity and character of God.
Joy Is Indicative of The Life A Believer
The presence of the fruit of the Spirit is significant in the life of a Christian because it correlates that we live a joyful life. Galatians 5:22 declares that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Our lives are marked by joy based on the fruitiness of the Spirit’s operation within our souls. God expects believers to bear the fruit of the Spirit as we are under the administration of the Spirit. God expects every believer to be filled with joy and have a joyous countenance. The fact that He is joyful in relation to His communicable attribute denotes that we too should display the inner workings of joy since His Spirit lives within us.
As it pertains to every believer, joy according to David Jeremiah is an inward hope and exhilaration in spite of outward circumstances. Joy differences from happiness, which relies on favorable circumstances. 5
The joy of believers is not contingent upon what is happening around us, what is happening to us, or what is happening within us. It is rooted in our confidence, hope, and assurance in God.
Romans 15:13 states "now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Our firm stance of being rooted and grounded in God fills us with joy as we rest in His promises that are unfolding before us and as we anticipate what lies ahead of us. Being joyful is indicative that we understand and believe that God is in total control of everything. He is sovereign over all.
No matter what circumstance, predicament, or situation that we are in, we are governed by joy as we realize who God is, as we realize our temporal circumstances are temporary, and as we realize that our current dilemmas do not compare to the eternal weight of glory. The joy of the Lord is not a result of the temporal sphere compromised of perishable things and temporary misfortunes; but the joy of the Lord is anchored to the eternal sphere of our everlasting salvation.
LaRosa M. Johnson, Jr. wrote “unlike the emotional feeling of happiness, which can change as quickly as the weather, joy is based upon God’s divine promises and eternal realities. Joy isn’t that feeling that you get when everything is going right for you; joy is a feeling that remains constant, even when the world seems to be caving in around you (John 16:20–22). It can be described as a sense of well-being that comes by knowing that our relationship with the Lord is where it needs to be (1 Peter 1:8). What’s more, joy is a gift that we are given by God Himself, as opposed to something that we conjure up on our own; it’s a blessing that we are to delight in because we already possess it.” 6
The believer’s joy is connected to the path of life that God has set before us.
Psalm 16:11 NKJV — "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Every aspect of the Christ life should be one of joy. We should be joyful as a result of permanently being covered under the salvation of God.
Isaiah 61:10 NKJV — "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
We should be joyfully in unfavorable times because we profit from trials, tribulations, and hardships.
James 1:2-4 NKJV — "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
To add to this, The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible gives a vast number of reasons for Christians to be joyful. The source of the believer’s joy is severalfold.
Joy springs from faith (Phil. 1:25-26).
Joy of future reward makes and keeps the believer faithful (Matthew 25:21).
The fellowship of the Father and His Son brings joy (1John 1:3-4).
Victory over sin, death, and hell brings joy (John 14:28).
Repentance brings joy (Luke 15:7, 10).
The hope of glory brings joy (Hebrews 12:2).
The Lord’s Word: the revelations, commandments, and promises which He made brings joy (John 15:11).
The will of God brings joy. Obeying and adhering to His will stirs joy within the believer’s heart.
Prayer brings joy (John 16:24).
The conversion of others bring joy (Luke 5:5).
Hearing that others walk in truth brings joy (3 John 1:4).
Giving brings joy (2 Corinthians 8:2). 3
The frame of every believer’s life should be distinctively visible by the presence of Spirit. As the Holy Spirit is visible in our lives, joy should radiate from our hearts. Are you joyful? Can other people see you bearing the virtue of joy?
Fellow Christians, please recall that our joy, satisfaction, and contentment is found in the unfailing source of the Lord. Upon truly comprehending this reality, we will be joyful.
Resources
The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible
The Jeremiah Study Bible
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